Rugby: Bill Sweeney leaves the British Olympic Association to become CEO of the Rugby Football Union

"Bill Sweeney has been appointed CEO of the Rugby Football Union (RFU)," announced the RFU on 19/02/2019. "Nigel Melville will continue as interim chief executive until Bill Sweeney commences his role at Twickenham (RFU headquarters in London), with confirmation of that date to be agreed shortly," added the body. 

Bill Sweeney, 60, "joins from the British Olympic Association (BOA) where he has been Chief Executive Officer since 2013. Before joining the BOA, Bill Sweeney had a successful business career with senior roles in sports businesses including at adidas and Puma," said RFU.

Bill Sweeney will replace Steve Brown, chief executive of the RFU since September 2017, who resigned from the post and was due to leave "at the end of the year (2018)," according to England Rugby on 16/11/2018.

"This is the only opportunity that I would have left the British Olympic Association for" (B. Sweeney, 19/02/2019)

• "I leave behind a very strong British Olympic Association, both financially and in readiness for Tokyo 2020. This is the only opportunity that I would have left the BOA for. From…